


Aaron And Jimmy At The Scrapyard

by theprincessed



Series: Village Talk [9]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Advice, Boyfriends, Canonical Character Death, Conversations, Gen, M/M, Paralysis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 05:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7496388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In light of Nicola's recent storyline, I got this prompt on Tumblr from <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/users/Port_In_A_Storm">Port_In_A_Storm</a> - <i>I would like to see a conversation between Jimmy and Aaron, with Jimmy asking him how he coped with Jackson. Or maybe where Aaron sees that he looks extra tired, and they just talk for a while about how they coped/are coping.</i></p><p>This is that scene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aaron And Jimmy At The Scrapyard

**Author's Note:**

> I know, right? I usually stick to Robert + someone for these Village Talk ficlets and I’m not sure why because my series summary says that it could be Robert AND/OR Aaron lol. Anyway, I've been trying to make this amazing prompt from darling [Port_In_A_Storm](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Port_In_A_Storm) work for ages, as it's a big subject, but I finally came up with this today.
> 
> Hope you like, chicka, as well as anyone else who reads this x

After taking him for a much needed walk around the village, Aaron ties Scrappy to one of the old oil barrels nearest the steps to the portacabin and goes inside to fetch a bottle to pour some water into the dog bowl sat by his paws. He's panting hard and Aaron scratches him behind the ears, feeling fond, before he opens the door. He and Jimmy both startle upon seeing each other, Jimmy rifling through what Aaron largely considered his desk until Robert became business partner at Home James and gave Nicola some actual work to do at their shared base. 

In all honesty, Aaron thinks Robert should probably find them another premises, but he hasn't quite worked up a way of approaching the subject yet as business is Robert's world and he can be touchy about anyone trying to impart their “poxy ideas”. So, for now, Aaron and Nicola have one side and Adam, Robert and, to a lesser extent, Jimmy have the other. Following what's happened to Nicola recently, it's no surprise to Aaron that Jimmy has seemingly taken her workload on.

“I'll just – water,” he mutters awkwardly, gesturing to the mini-fridge next to the kettle.

“Oh right, yeah, carry on,” Jimmy nods with a smile, but he seems fretful.

Aaron falls back onto his default setting of not getting involved with other villagers' lives, grabs the bottle of water quickly and returns to Scrappy. Once the scrapyard dog has his water and a chew toy to keep him amused, Aaron swings his arms by his sides until deciding with a sigh that he really should get some work done. That would require him to wear his orange high-vis vest, which is currently draped on a hook. In the portacabin. Well, there's worst people to make stilted conversation with than Jimmy King, so Aaron squares his shoulders and goes back up the steps.

“Back so soon?” Jimmy says, without looking up from two piles of paper. He's still standing behind Aaron's (Nicola's) desk, as if ready to give up at a moment's notice and make a run for it. Aaron thinks about joking that he won't tell Robert if he does before he really looks at the other man. His shoulders are in a perpetual slump and his polo shirt is somewhat wrinkled, like he didn't have the energy to make a good go of it with the iron. In fact, he seems altogether jittery with exhaustion, another reason for still being on his feet. Maybe if he sits down he feels he won't get back up again for a long time. Aaron blinks as Jimmy's tired, anxious eyes meet his and he realises too late that he's not said anything in reply, choosing instead to gawp like a right pillock. “Alright?” Jimmy adds warily, his forehead covered in worried wrinkles that probably have nothing to do with concern for him and all for his wife currently sat at home.

Aaron bobs his head. “Sorry, yeah, m'fine. Y'alright?” he asks because it's the only thing he can think of to say. Until it happened enough times that he got used to it, people asking Aaron in the past how he was, especially after Jackson's accident, was guaranteed to wind him up. It felt inane and stupid and infuriating, no matter how often his mum or Paddy tried to reassure him that the village was just trying to be nice. Luckily, Jimmy's not as hot-headed and there's a pregnant pause before his hand, which is putting some invoices into a ring-binder, comes up to rub at his face. “Was it this tiring for you?” He peeks through his fingers, seeing Aaron's confusion. “Y'know, when Jackson...” Shocked that he'd correctly seen himself from that time reflected in Jimmy's every move now, Aaron frowns and wishes to not be opening up a conversation like this, but he's never rude and Jimmy looks like he's ready to burst with questions. Sensing Aaron's unease in the silence or maybe just needing to give voice to it, Jimmy sighs heavily and flops into Aaron's chair at last. “I think – actually, _I know_ Nico's in denial. About her...y'know.”

Aaron swallows hard, remembering how difficult it was for even the doctor to break the news to Jackson that he was going to be paralysed for the foreseeable, if not permanently. “That...can happen,” he says cautiously, putting some distance between him and the other man by taking a seat at Adam/Robert's desk instead.

“I mean, I don't blame her!” he protests, wide-eyed, like Aaron's going to judge him. “I just – I need to know if it'll get better. If we can cope.”

Aaron squirms because he knows why Jimmy is asking him for some sort of hope. “Well, I can't answer that, can I? Nicola isn't Jackson.” he replies, not unkindly. For something traumatic as this, everyone is different. He smiles faintly. “But she is as strong as they come. You know that better than any of us,”

Jimmy shakes his head, as if ridding himself of the moping to pull himself together. He grins, a touch soppily. “I s'pose you're right. She's sent me up here to get her some work. Says she's 'bored out of her - ” he hesitates, meaning it's a colourful expletive, making Aaron smile a bit more confidently, “ - mind. Apparently, Robert and I can't be trusted to manage without her, no matter how good he is at schmoozing with clients and I'm...me.”

“What did I tell ya?” Aaron nods, “Wise woman, she is.”

“All I want is for her to concentrate on resting, but she doesn't even want to do that.” He touches the miniature car model on Aaron's desk and they watch it roll a couple of inches across the wood. He looks up suddenly, fear in his gaze again. “Not 'til she's exhausted herself so much that she's got no other choice but to sleep.”

“Beer used to help Jackson. Not while on meds, obviously!” he hurries to add, so Jimmy doesn't think he was some dodgy bloke getting his injured boyfriend plastered. He's as surprised as Aaron by the confession, neither of them used to him opening up like that, but he figures on this occasion that it might be worth it. “But it's a depressant, innit? Alcohol. And Jackson was a sleepy drunk anyway. Half a pint and he was ready to hit the hay.” He pauses and frowns, embarrassed. “This isn't really helpin', is it?”

Jimmy laughs for the first time. “In a weird way, mate, I think it might be. Besides, maybe _I_ could use the beer myself. Just don't tell Nicola that!”

“It's important though y'know. And you've got kids.” he says softly. As he leans his forearm on the desk, Aaron looks at his hoodie. The last time he held his arm like this had been because the pain to the cut on his arm had been so great. It was also the day Robert ended up saving his life. “I've never really taken good care of myself. It didn't matter because I had no one relying on me, before Liv. _I_ didn't matter. Whether Nicola stays paralysed or not, you have to be there for her and your kids, Jimmy.”

“Of course, always. I love Nico and the kids.” he says earnestly, bringing a strange sort of relief to Aaron's heart. Nicola might be in denial and pushing Jimmy away as much as she can now, but Aaron has faith that she'll come round. Just like Jackson did, sat in a hospital room and realising that Aaron was deadly serious when he said he'd never leg it again.

“Then you'll be alright,” he smiles. “Like I said, Nicola's hardly gonna take anything lying down, is she? Reminds me of Robert actually. Probably why they don't stop butting heads.”

Jimmy grins at Aaron making a face. “Ah yes. I hear you and Robert are...a thing now?”

“The whole flamin' village heard,” he grumbles then snorts because it rings true for when Chrissie did her yelling act in the pub as well as more recently. It seems them being boyfriends is old news already, even if it's still a giddy novelty to them both.

“And Jackson?”

“What?”

“Do you still...?”

“Oh.” Aaron catches his lower lip with his teeth, deep in thought, as he catches Jimmy’s meaning. Does he still think about Jackson? “Most days, yeah. It's getting less and I dunno....It's like...” He inhales and sits back in his chair to pick at his sleeve, focusing on the frayed edge from how many times the habit has kicked in to pull them over his hands or pluck at the threads for comfort. “It's like there's this hole in my chest and it's never gonna disappear, but it's stopped getting bigger. When he - ” he flicks his eyes over to Jimmy, but he's sitting motionless, just listening, so he carries on, “ - when he died, I thought the hole was gonna swallow me up and with everything that came after it, I wanted it to. But eventually, when I got out of here, it stopped growing. It was still there, but it didn't terrify me anymore. I think that's what coping is – when you can remember everything without wanting to end it all yourself. I still think about him, probably always will, and Robert knows that. The hole, it's a part of me now, but I'm alright with it.”

Jimmy blows out a breath and averts his gaze in the split second it takes Aaron to wipe his glossy eyes on his soft sleeve. “Sounds like there's someone else who's wise around here.”

“I think you've got it wrong, mate,” Aaron dismisses the soft-voiced compliment, as Jimmy immediately understands the jokey deflection and they share a laugh.

Jimmy stands up. “Right, well, I'll leave you to it. Better get back to the house before Nicola leaves me another angry voicemail.”

Aaron tips his chin at him in acknowledgement as he tucks the ringer-binder into the crease of his elbow and piles a couple of stationery bits and pieces on top, along with a USB cable that belongs to Nicola's laptop. Once the door shuts behind Jimmy, Aaron leans back so he's looking at the ceiling. He has no idea how he got into something like that, but he hopes it helped.

\--

“...So, I said 'well, if you think we're gonna take it for that price, you've got another thing coming and it's not gonna be our business'! What d'ya think? That was pretty great, wasn't it, as a parting shot? Of course, they folded and I – oi, are you even listenin'? _Aaron_?”

Robert's sharp tone of voice finally brings Aaron out of his thoughts. “Yeah?”

They're sat at the table in the backroom, knees pressed together, as they have lunch. Robert's got another meeting soon, so Aaron had agreed to spend this small amount of time in his company, whilst Liv is mercifully at school and the pub is busy with the lunchtime rush.

Instead of getting annoyed like part of Aaron expects him to, Robert's shoulders relax and his eyes turn fond. “C'mon, tell me. What's up with you? 'Cause somethin' is.”

He shakes his head, but says it anyway, despite feeling embarrassed and a little bit almost foolish for letting a compliment of all things occupy his thoughts. “Apparently, I'm wise.”

“Yeah?” Robert's raised eyebrows morph into a grin. He puts down his fork to cover Aaron's hand with his own. He's so warm and Aaron's body instantly reacts, heart jolting happily that Robert is finally his. “Of course you are.”

Aaron regards him suspiciously. “Are you pullin' me leg?”

“No, I'm bein' serious!” he laughs, “You know a lot of things, probably more than ya think. There's cars for a start, and scrap, and how to deal with Liv at her most irritating - ”

“Robert - ” he warns, but it's without it's heat, like an inside joke of theirs.

Still, he raises his other hand in surrender, to placate. “It's true. You're good with her. And there's also that thing you do where...” He leans towards him to whisper in his ear, making sure to squeeze his hand before letting go and sitting back, satisfied. “You're wise to how much that makes me want you.”

Aaron scowls, his version of a blush. “Robert!” he says again, although this time it's a proper reprimand and he can't quite hide how pleased he is that Robert likes that as much as he does.

He watches his boyfriend rest his hands on his own thighs and glance at the door. He tilts his head in that direction and licks his lips. “Y'know, it's funny. I'm not really that hungry anymore. What about you?”

“Well, actually I'm really into this - ”

Robert stands and tugs him to his feet by the open side of his hoodie, pulling him hard against his firm chest. “I'm not hungry for food, Aaron.” he growls darkly, as if it isn't obvious.

Aaron snorts, but doesn't protest as Robert drags him upstairs, their food half finished and forgotten.

It will get better for Jimmy (and Nicola).

After all, Aaron's living proof.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


End file.
